5 Things to Know About Shanghai

The longest-running film festival in the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai International Film Festival is facing stiff competition from the two-year-old Beijing fest, which stole some of SIFF's thunder last year when it moved from fall to April. Shanghai organizers have responded with a distinctly international program for the 15th edition of the festival, which will highlight Shanghai's cultural advantages. With the Chinese media market continuing to open up, the event is well positioned to become a key link between East and West thanks to its emphasis on international programming and its burgeoning market, SIFF Mart. Challenges remain -- gala premieres from Hollywood are scarce, meaning Western star power is still minimal -- but for anyone looking to crack the Chinese market (and who isn't?), SIFF is a good place to start.